Twins reach minor league deals with Deduno, Vasquez

The Twins have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training for starting pitcher Samuel Deduno, who could have left as a free agent after being taken off the 40-man roster last week.

Deduno, 29, arrived in camp on a minor league deal this year and began the season at Class AAA Rochester before going 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA in 15 starts for the Twins.

Deduno has long struggled with his control, but he was able to harness it enough to give the Twins eight quality starts -- at least six innings pitched, three or fewer earned runs allowed.

“He was frustrated when he was taken off the roster because he felt like he’d earned a spot, but he understands,” said Deduno’s agent, Paul Kinzer. “He feels like he’s going to come in [to spring training] and earn a spot in the rotation.”

The Twins removed Deduno, P.J. Walters and Esmerling Vasquez from the 40-man roster because they plan to add new players in coming weeks. Walters has since re-signed on a minor league deal, and like Deduno, Vasquez, who went 0-2 with a 5.68 ERA in six starts with the Twins, has agreed to terms on a minor league deal.

The Twins plan to announce the Deduno and Vasquez deals as soon as the contracts are officially signed.

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Phil Miller covered three seasons of Twins baseball, but that was at a different ballpark for a different newspaper. Now Miller returns to the baseball beat after joining the Star Tribune as the Gopher football writer in 2010, and he won't miss the dingy dome for a minute. In addition to the Twins and Gophers, Miller covered the Utah Jazz and the NBA for six years at The Salt Lake Tribune.